When the late and much lamented Annisul Huq was mayor of the Dhaka North Municipal Corporation, he made a lot of progress during his short tenure, cleaning up his area including renovation of walkways and pavements and clearing pavements of obstructions which made it safer for pedestrians to walk without having to walk at the edges of the roads where they risked injury or death.
Now, everything is much as before. It seems as if anyone can set up a tea shop or a sales point on the pavement as long as they are able to give “facilitation money” or ghoosh to a number of people.
In an attempt to draw pedestrians away from walking on busy roads, walkways were constructed on the banks of the lake that is situated between Gulshan and Banani. The authorities should now go and visit the walkway between Kemal Ataturk Road and Road 22, Block-K, Banani. At the Road 22 end the walkway is now a car park largely because Rajuk and other authorities have allowed the narrow, dead end Road 22 to become a busy commercial road instead of a quiet residential road.
A real estate agency, a beauty parlour/hairdressing salon, and a hospital -- a hospital has been allowed in a residential area, where there is a “No Through Road” and no hospital parking area. It is quite unbelievable! Also in another residential building, a well-known commercial group is, allegedly, using some apartments as godowns.
Moving along towards Kemal Ataturk Road, the walkway is blocked by building materials and hundreds of rickshaws. When challenged, the rickshaw drivers say that payment is made to the “commissioner.” It would seem that no department is responsible for the walkway, for keeping it clean.
Part of it has been covered by broken masonry and in other parts, leaking waste water from adjoining apartment buildings is leaking onto the walkway making it unhygienic. In addition, it is a place where people throw away face masks. So much for controlling the spread of infection! Is there not a public health authority which should be looking at all aspects of public health, including public areas like footpaths, tea stalls, and snack shops?
While it is very likely that the officials are being “paid off,” it seems that the Banani Society has taken no interest in these problems. This is in stark contrast to the very positive role that the Gulshan Society has taken in keeping the lake in their area neat and tidy.
It seems very clear that a lot of bribe money has been paid and continues to be paid so that all regulations remain broken. I was here in Dhaka in January 1972 when Bangabandhu spoke out about corruption and strongly reminded government employees that “they are not masters, but servants of the people.” He also became very angry when there were reports of thefts of relief supplies at that time. At one meeting, he is reported to have said sarcastically and angrily: “Where is my blanket?”
It was significant that, during Mujib Borsho, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina felt the necessity to regularly warn people about corruption. One piece of news caught my attention last year. It was reported in the media that at an online meeting with all secretaries of the public service on August 18, 2021, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that public servants will face tough punishment if anyone indulges in corruption. The prime minister was reported as saying: “As we are providing various facilities, we will not tolerate corruption.”
Corruption hits the headlines of the media when there is tragedy -- such as two buses colliding, resulting in a number of deaths, and it was found that one of them had not had a “fitness test” for 11 years. Corruption is in the headlines with the tragic blazes with losses of life at Sitakunda and at chemical warehouses in Old Dhaka. The headlines are prominent for a few days.
But has anything been done? Has anyone been punished? Have the families of those who lost their lives been adequately compensated? Usually very little is done because ghoosh money is freely available and this is money which can overcome anything or anybody.
Julian Francis has been associated with relief and development activities of Bangladesh since the War of Liberation. In 2012, the Government of Bangladesh awarded him the ‘Friends of Liberation War Honour’ in recognition of his work among the refugees in India in 1971 and in 2018 honoured him with full Bangladesh citizenship.
